Not sure what you mean, dak - the recipe? That's definitely pho. Tom yum is a hot/sour type soup, with totally different seasonings - Galangal, lime, Thai lime leaves (keffir?), lemongrass, chili paste. Usually has mushrooms and seafood, waterchesnuts, stuff like in won ton soup, but I've never had noodles. Pho is basically just a rich beef broth with very distinctive flavors, mainly star anise. It's not "sour" at all. The noodles and some types of meat are added and the last minute and the diner usually adds herbs and bean sprouts and sometimes raw meat at the table, which cook in the hot broth.

Thanks Rebeltruce. I've copied the recipe and will try it when I get a chance. Where do you get your fish sauce?

I didn't realize you were so close to me. I'm a bit N of Winchester.

Do you have any Pho shops to recommend down your way?

Hey Mike,

No Pho shops here in good old Culpeper! Not much at all in the way of any kind of Ethinic Groceries.

I make a trip back up to Northern Virginia about once every other month or so to stock up on Fish Sauce and any other Asian ingredients I need. They carry at least 5-10 brands of Fish Sauce, I alway buy the one with the squid on the bottle, it's white and a sort of pink colored label.

I normally go to Grand Mart, it's essentially a Korean market, but carries allot of other things.....various Latin, Indian and Chinese goodies. Last I knew there were two in NOVA, one in Centreville and one in Sterling they are both huge, so no trouble finding anything you may need. The produce is unbelievable, as well as the meats and seafood. All at bargain prices.

My favorite Pho shop is in Herndon, Va. PHO 75, maybe not the very top of the line but excellent none the less. No frills, just good soup, and very good coffee.

When I lived in Seattle there were almost as many pho places as Starbucks.

The place I liked, Pho Bac, in the International district charged about $5.00 for a huge bowl.

Yesterday in Amherst, Massachusetts, I paid $9.00 for a decent sized, but very tasty, bowl.

How much is a good bowl of pho in your neck of the woods?

Price to beat:

... at Epcot at Disney World. (No, I did not indulge.)

Actually.....that is not at Epcot. It's from the Yak and Yeti restaurant in Disney's Animal Kingdom. It comes in a HUGE bowl!!! I couldn't even finish it all it was so much!!! This is not my pic but it is the Pho from AK.

In the Atlanta area there are three main locations for Asian ethnic foods including Pho: Buford Highway (Pho probably is mostly limited to the stretch inside I - 285), South of the city and outside I -285 in Clayton County along Jonesboro Road (there are aslo a couple of places NOT on that road), and NE of the city and I-285 in Gwinnettt County. Of these the Buford Highway corridor is far and away the largest and probably the most diverse.

Pho Bac, 4897 Buford Highway, is not my favorite, but their latest menu shows the following: Small Bowl $ 5.45, Medium Bowl $6.45, and $6.95 for an "extra large" Bowl of the traditional beef (any combination) or beef balls alone, or of the chicken and shrimp versions. A bowl of the plain noodle soup with no meat is a dollar less for any of the sizes. Extra meatballs are $0.85. A side order of meatballs is $2.50.

A bowl of the Bun Bo Hue, presumably with the pork blood porridge cubes is also $6.95.

In addition to the above mentioned small, medium, and large - or call it extra large - sizes, some local Pho shops also serve a smaller "baby bowl" for a dollar or so less than the small.

In Augusta GA recently I found Pho in a free standing Japanese stir fry place that otherwise probably has food like the mall Japanese places you find. It is the Wasabi Express at 2838 Washington Road. Half the menu at this place is Vietnamese. I did not take a meal there but the small medium and large bowls, usuual combinations and meat varieties, are $4.99, medium $5.99, and large $6.50. The same sizes with no meat are $3.99, $4.50, and $5.00 respectively. No Pho chicken or shrimp versions are offered although the Japanaese side of the menu includes those meats. The Japanese side of the menu does not include sushi.

Probably because of the military bases nearby Augusta has a variety of ethnic food, more than you might expect of a small Southern city.

Augusta is at or near the end of I-20. Wasabi Express is a short distance south of the Interstate if you are driving through and wanting to try Pho. I repeat I did not take a meal there. If you are in Augusta to visit someone in the service or for an event such as the Master's, and Augusta National is not far away, you will quickly find that Washington Road is one focal points for food on both sides of I-20.

The local booster magazine and counter-culture newspaper published the results of the "Best of" voting recently. I don't think thast Pho was a category. I'd like to hear from someone who has eaten at Wasabi Express.

In the Atlanta area there are three main locations for Asian ethnic foods including Pho: Buford Highway (Pho probably is mostly limited to the stretch inside I - 285), South of the city and outside I -285 in Clayton County along Jonesboro Road (there are aslo a couple of places NOT on that road), and NE of the city and I-285 in Gwinnettt County. Of these the Buford Highway corridor is far and away the largest and probably the most diverse.

Pho Bac, 4897 Buford Highway, is not my favorite, but their latest menu shows the following: Small Bowl $ 5.45, Medium Bowl $6.45, and $6.95 for an "extra large" Bowl of the traditional beef (any combination) or beef balls alone, or of the chicken and shrimp versions. A bowl of the plain noodle soup with no meat is a dollar less for any of the sizes. Extra meatballs are $0.85. A side order of meatballs is $2.50.

A bowl of the bun bo hue, presumably with the pork blood porridge cubes is also $6.95.

In addition to the above mentioned small, medium, and large - or call it extra large - sizes, some local Pho shops also serve a smaller "baby bowl" for a dollar or so less than the small.

If I visit the Disney complex again I'll sure pass on the Pho there!

I have been getting my Bun Bo Hue at Song Long Vietnamese Restaurant in the Roselawn area of Cincinnati for many many years - this is their menu description of this dish (I also have them add some meatballs):

I have been getting my Bun Bo Hue at Song Long Vietnamese Restaurant in the Roselawn area of Cincinnati for many many years - this is their menu description of this dish (I also have them add some meatballs): LV4. Bun Bo Hue Soup Our spicy lemongrass and beef broth with round rice noodles and sliced beef. $4.25

IIRC the internet literature shows Bun Bo Hue or similar soups with and without the cubes of blood porridge but I think around Atlanta all that I have had was "with." Actually it is a rather rare treat for me because so many people are put off by the sight of someone consuming blood. They think you a vampire or something.

I have enjoyed blood sausages of several kinds and also other forms. There is or used to be a steamy storefront restaurant in the Washington DC Chinatown that had sauteed duck's blood on the menu. It was stir fried with vegetables and a good dish.

Also I saw pork blood on the menu of a Chinese place in Portland, Oregon a few years back but never ate there. At least one Oriental grocery in Atlanta (operated by Vets) offers the cubed pork blood for sale. It is in open pails in a cool case, like pickled bamboo shoots or bulk tofu.

I don't think I've ever eaten a bowl of Pho. There were several places in Fresno when I left 11 years ago but I never stopped in. Next time I get down towards DC I'll try one.

Mike if you ever get back down this way...let me recommend Pho 75 #2, at First and McKinley.. I had a great duck Pho with huge chunks of duck for around 7 dollars for a huge bowl.. but whatever you do, for the love of all that's holy...stay away from the durian smoothie.......shudder...I'm scarred for life... so are the kids...

Jenn, 1st & Mckinley, the home of Potter's Drugs and M&V music (both long gone). Potter's had the best roller grilled hotdogs in Fresno. Don't forget Muchie's was there too. Anyways, that area had become little Saigon even before we left 11 years ago.

I did get my 1st bowl of pho today. From Pho 75 in Herndon, VA. A large bowl was 6.95 with a variety of beef cuts. I also had 2 cups of Viet coffee, I'd had that before in Cincy. Strong drip coffee made at your table and sweetended condensed milk then iced.

Great site; thank you! There are 18 Pho restaurants listed in Philadelphia, I'm happy to see. They're in the "obvious" places; the Italian Market area (yup), and Chinatown (hello!). Also they have 3 listed in the Cherry Hill area (I live in that area), but one is listed twice for some reason.

I remember on our second date, we were standing in the Chinatown area, my boyfriend and I, and happened to be standing right in front of Pho Cali at 10th and Arch Sts. I so wanted to try it, and he just had too much trepidation. We ended up going to Penang, a Malaysian restaurant. He said, "Next time!" 2 years later and I'm still holding him to it, though there've been many "next times" with restaurants where we ended up someplace else (but that's OK). I think he needs to actually sit down and try it.

I did get my 1st bowl of pho today. From Pho 75 in Herndon, VA. A large bowl was 6.95 with a variety of beef cuts. I also had 2 cups of Viet coffee, I'd had that before in Cincy. Strong drip coffee made at your table and sweetended condensed milk then iced.

I liked it and will go back sometime.

Glad you liked it Mike!!!! Pho 75 in Herndon is one of my favorites......classic Pho!

There are 47 Viet restaurants listed in Urbanspoon in the Phoenix area. Checking the top 10 rated places, the prices ranged from $4.95 to $12.00 depending on the ingredients & location. The average was about $6-7.00

Great site; thank you! There are 18 Pho restaurants listed in Philadelphia, I'm happy to see. They're in the "obvious" places; the Italian Market area (yup), and Chinatown (hello!). Also they have 3 listed in the Cherry Hill area (I live in that area), but one is listed twice for some reason.

I remember on our second date, we were standing in the Chinatown area, my boyfriend and I, and happened to be standing right in front of Pho Cali at 10th and Arch Sts. I so wanted to try it, and he just had too much trepidation. We ended up going to Penang, a Malaysian restaurant. He said, "Next time!" 2 years later and I'm still holding him to it, though there've been many "next times" with restaurants where we ended up someplace else (but that's OK). I think he needs to actually sit down and try it.

Oh, the most expensive pho there appears to be $5.50.

Tell him it's CHEAP food and I bet he takes the bait! If not---Dump the Slug. Find an adventurer!

I've eaten pho in Stockton and Sacramento, CA; Toledo, OH; and in the Kingsport/Bristol/Johnson City area of northeastern Tennessee. I would love to make my own sometime but I've heard horror stories of failed attempts. I saw a failed attempt once and it was not pretty. The guy got the recipe from a Hmong friend and I'm not sure what the problem was but it might have been a translation error. The best thing you can ever do to feed your Pho cravings is become good friends with people from southeastern Asia and then pray that they'll invite you over to their house for pho sometime.

When I was in Sacramento I ate at a variety of Pho joints before settling on Pho King 2 (6830 Stockton Blvd.) as my favorite. They had an avocado shake that was out of this world. My decision was probably partially based on the name of the place but they had a constant stream of Asian clientele which in my opinion is what you want to see from any asian restaurant. From eating in a variety of pho places I've learned a lot. 1. Generally the best pho places will have southeast Asians eating there. 2. The best pho places will focus mainly on pho in their menu and advertising - you should never go to a place that specializes in Asian fusion or sushi and order pho. 3. The best pho is cheap - I generally don't expect to pay more than $7.00 unless I get extra beef balls. In Cambodia it costs 50 cents and while I've never had the pleasure I'm sure it's excellent. (extras and variations, like seafood, can cause this price to vary) 4. The best places will offer multiple sizes and cuts of meat on their menu - 1 of the 2 isn't bad but if the menu just lists "Pho" as a single item I wouldn't get my hopes too high. 3. all pho should come with sides of bean sprouts, Thai basil, cilantro, hot sauce (either as an oily hot pepper paste, chili garlic, or Sriracha - preferably all three), hoisin/oyster/or plum sauce, a lime wedge, and whole or sliced hot peppers. You are perfectly justified in asking for these if they are not brought out to you at your meal 4. You might just no be able to find good pho in your area. - Toledo once had Saigon Bistro, a Vietnamese pho joint that featured all of the things you want from a pho place. Unfortunately nobody ate there and it had to close down. Now I go to Wei Wei (1202 North Reynolds Road, Toledo). It's decent and as far as I can tell it's the best I'm going to get within 40 miles. Random Fact: Vietnamese, Thai, Laos, and Hmong all call it "Pho"; Cambodians insist on referring to it as "k'tieu" and they are all distinct

$8.49 in Maui, Hawaii. Sounds pretty reasonable now considering what others are paying in different parts of the country. In contrast, we are currently paying $3.88 a gallon of gas for regular unleaded, the highest in the state (it's cheaper on neighbor islands) and maybe in the nation.

Ridiculous! Around Dallas' many (genuine) Vietnamese restaurants, A huge bowl of whatever pho you like runs $4.75 to $5.50 depending on ingredients. My personal favorite at Bistro B is the shrimp and seafood pho with beef tendon. $5.50!